With films like “Destruction Babies” and “Miyamoto”, Tetsuya Mariko has really left an impact in the Japanese movie industry during the latest years, as one of the few remaining directors of ‘tense cinema', as established by directors such as Takashi Miike, Sion Sono, Toshiaki Toyoda and Shinya Tsukamoto. Now, with “Before Anyone Else”, he attempts to take his talents outside Japan, to the US specifically, hopefully in a new endeavor and not because he cannot find space in his home country anymore.
Before Anyone Else is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
In black-and-white and low definition, the movie begins with a young woman driving a car, getting out of it, and then the camera turning to the backseat, showing a baby sitting there. The next cut shows a completely different scene, in color this time, where a group of four Americans and Asian Americans break into a pawn shop.
Before Anyone Else is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
In black-and-white and low definition, the movie begins with a young woman driving a car, getting out of it, and then the camera turning to the backseat, showing a baby sitting there. The next cut shows a completely different scene, in color this time, where a group of four Americans and Asian Americans break into a pawn shop.
- 3/3/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Hamzah Jamjoom’s eco-thriller “Running Dry,” which will start principal photography on Dec. 26, has revealed its leading cast members.
The film will star Baraa Alem, Waleed Zuaiter, Houshang Touzie, Naif Aldaferi and Ali Fardi.
Jamjoom’s credits include “Rupture,” winner of the Best Saudi Film Award at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021, and “How I Got There,” the Best Saudi Film Award winner at last year’s Red Sea Film Festival.
It is based on a script by Gregory Collins and Jamjoom, from a story by Waleed Al Sanad and is produced by Abubakar Khan.
Inspired by real events, “Running Dry” follows the story of a poor mechanic from rural Saudi Arabia who is lured overseas only to be held captive by a sadistic drug lord.
Jamjoom said: “This film is really about overcoming forces that use and manipulate resources in order to divide people and consolidate power. In that sense,...
The film will star Baraa Alem, Waleed Zuaiter, Houshang Touzie, Naif Aldaferi and Ali Fardi.
Jamjoom’s credits include “Rupture,” winner of the Best Saudi Film Award at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021, and “How I Got There,” the Best Saudi Film Award winner at last year’s Red Sea Film Festival.
It is based on a script by Gregory Collins and Jamjoom, from a story by Waleed Al Sanad and is produced by Abubakar Khan.
Inspired by real events, “Running Dry” follows the story of a poor mechanic from rural Saudi Arabia who is lured overseas only to be held captive by a sadistic drug lord.
Jamjoom said: “This film is really about overcoming forces that use and manipulate resources in order to divide people and consolidate power. In that sense,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Michihito Fujii has emerged during the recent years as one of the most intriguing voices of Japanese cinema, with movies like “The Journalist”, “Yakuza and the Family” and “Day and Night” setting the tone for an impressive career. In the last few years, he seems to have been employed by Netflix in some way, since a number of his latest works premiere on the streaming platform. Not holding “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 – Sustainable War” against him, since everyone who has dealt with that mess has left severely “scarred”, it was really interesting to see what his latest work, “Village” would be like, particularly since it seemed to incorporate a number of the genre elements he implemented excellently in his previous works.
Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
Yu Katayama is a young man who has been living in the Kamon village since childhood, not being able to leave,...
Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
Yu Katayama is a young man who has been living in the Kamon village since childhood, not being able to leave,...
- 6/18/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Combining the horrific with the grotesque and the sensual in order to both entertain and to present various comments in extreme fashion has always been one of the knacks of Japanese cinema, with filmmakers like Takashi Miike, Sion Sono and Tetsuya Mariko among others having thrived in this approach repeatedly. Noboru Iguchi proves that he is also a member of the “group”, with his latest work “Tales of Bliss and Heresy” an omnibus of three different parts.
“Tales of Bliss and Heresy” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The first one is titled “Painful Shadows” and focuses on the interactions between two office workers, a man and a woman, with the former being the higher up. His behavior, however, is creepy to say the least, since he peeks on his colleague, makes snide comments about her writing, and even teases her regarding food. It turns out, though,...
“Tales of Bliss and Heresy” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The first one is titled “Painful Shadows” and focuses on the interactions between two office workers, a man and a woman, with the former being the higher up. His behavior, however, is creepy to say the least, since he peeks on his colleague, makes snide comments about her writing, and even teases her regarding food. It turns out, though,...
- 2/11/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Based on an adult-oriented manga by “Angel Guts” creator Takashi Ishii, “Mermaid Legend” was Toshiharu Ikeda’s first film after leaving Nikkatsu, and was produced by the Director’s Company and distributed by Atg. The movie won three awards in Yokohama Film Festival, for director, Actress and Cinematography, and despite its exploitation premises, also channels the intense anti-nuclear sentiment of the decade.
on YesAsia
Keisuke, a frequently drunken fisherman who opposes the construction of a nuclear plant in the seaside village he lives with his young wife, is murdered by a group of thugs who are the puppets of the corrupt contractor who is tasked with securing the location for the construction. His wife, Migiwa, actually witnesses the whole thing as it happens while she was diving, a common profession for women of the area who fished that way, barely escaping the murderers herself. When she tries to inform the police,...
on YesAsia
Keisuke, a frequently drunken fisherman who opposes the construction of a nuclear plant in the seaside village he lives with his young wife, is murdered by a group of thugs who are the puppets of the corrupt contractor who is tasked with securing the location for the construction. His wife, Migiwa, actually witnesses the whole thing as it happens while she was diving, a common profession for women of the area who fished that way, barely escaping the murderers herself. When she tries to inform the police,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
I do not think there is any other movie industry in the world that produces so many movies about toxic individuals as the Japanese one, with the independent sector in particular dealing with this type of personas quite frequently, as filmmakers like Shinya Tsukamoro. Tetsuya Mariko and Toshiaki Toyoda extensively focus on this type of loser. Nobuhiro Yamashita attempts to do the same, adapting the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel “Kueki Ressha” by Kenta Nishimura, adding though, a very significant element, the presence of female character Yasuko, who did not exist in the original.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The character in focus is named Kanta Kitamachi, and he is the epitome of the term ‘loser’. Coming from a family that fell apart when his father was convicted as a sex offender, the 19-year-old has been living alone in a tiny apartment, spending all the money...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The character in focus is named Kanta Kitamachi, and he is the epitome of the term ‘loser’. Coming from a family that fell apart when his father was convicted as a sex offender, the 19-year-old has been living alone in a tiny apartment, spending all the money...
- 9/7/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The selection includes eight Hong Kong projects and the first-ever Thai-Muslim horror
The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) has announced 28 in-development projects for its 20th anniversary edition.
All are fiction projects, including eight from Hong Kong, 12 debut features and projects spearheaded by renowned filmmakers and producers including Huang Ji, Jun Li, Tetsuya Mariko, Ida Panahandeh, Michael J. Werner, Fruit Chan, Nonzee Nimibutr, Yang Chao and Jane Zheng.
For the third year in a row, Haf will run online from March 14-16 alongside the 26th edition of Hong Kong Filmart.
“Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our...
The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) has announced 28 in-development projects for its 20th anniversary edition.
All are fiction projects, including eight from Hong Kong, 12 debut features and projects spearheaded by renowned filmmakers and producers including Huang Ji, Jun Li, Tetsuya Mariko, Ida Panahandeh, Michael J. Werner, Fruit Chan, Nonzee Nimibutr, Yang Chao and Jane Zheng.
For the third year in a row, Haf will run online from March 14-16 alongside the 26th edition of Hong Kong Filmart.
“Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our...
- 1/18/2022
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Tetsuya Mariko studied at the University of Hosei and Image Forum. He received international recognition with his short film “Far East Apartment” in 2003. In 2007, he entered Tokyo National University of the Arts Graduate School Film and New Media. “Yellow Kid” (2009) was Mariko’s graduation and first feature film. The second feature, after some years working on TV, was “Destruction Babies“, while “Miyamoto“, which is adapted from a TV series he also shot, is his latest feature.
On the occasion of “Miyamoto” screening at New York Asian Film Festival, we speak with him about the film and “Destruction Babies”, violence, love, working with Sosuke Ikematsu and Yu Aoi, his recent work, “Mayday”, while at the end, Mariko also shares a very interesting story.
“Destruction Babies” refers to Nada Kenka Matsuri, a festival dedicated to the God of fighting. Can you tell us a bit more about the connection of the festival with the protagonist’s actions?...
On the occasion of “Miyamoto” screening at New York Asian Film Festival, we speak with him about the film and “Destruction Babies”, violence, love, working with Sosuke Ikematsu and Yu Aoi, his recent work, “Mayday”, while at the end, Mariko also shares a very interesting story.
“Destruction Babies” refers to Nada Kenka Matsuri, a festival dedicated to the God of fighting. Can you tell us a bit more about the connection of the festival with the protagonist’s actions?...
- 9/9/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Tetsuya Mariko sent ripples across the international festival circuit back in 2016, when cult sensation “Destruction Babies” showed a unique view on sociopathic violence through the “shenanigans” of Yuya Yagira. This time, he seems to go a step even further with his third feature, as the barbarity is transferred to domestic settings, in an adaptation of a TV-drama he also directed, and itself an adaptation of the homonymous manga by Hideki Arai.
Miyamoto is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
The narrative unfolds in different timelines and revolves around a rather extreme love story, between Hiroshi Miyamoto and Misako Koda. As the film begins, a beat-up but happy Miyamoto tries to make his boss forgive him for his appearance and to allow him to keep his job as a salesman. He succeeds, and also receives some weird (maybe ironic?) advice from his direct higher up, who suggests to make rivals of everyone around him,...
Miyamoto is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
The narrative unfolds in different timelines and revolves around a rather extreme love story, between Hiroshi Miyamoto and Misako Koda. As the film begins, a beat-up but happy Miyamoto tries to make his boss forgive him for his appearance and to allow him to keep his job as a salesman. He succeeds, and also receives some weird (maybe ironic?) advice from his direct higher up, who suggests to make rivals of everyone around him,...
- 8/31/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ken Watanabe and Koichi Sato star in the film.
Japanese studio Kadokawa Corp is arriving in Cannes with a busy slate headed by action drama Fukushima 50, starring Ken Watanabe and Koichi Sato, and also including new titles from Takahisa Zeze, Koji Fukada and Michihito Fujii.
Directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu (The Unbroken), Fukushima 50 tells the story of the courageous group of workers who remained on site to stabilise the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant during its meltdown following the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.
Based on Ryusho Kadota’s book On The Brink: The Inside Story of Fukushima Daiichi, the...
Japanese studio Kadokawa Corp is arriving in Cannes with a busy slate headed by action drama Fukushima 50, starring Ken Watanabe and Koichi Sato, and also including new titles from Takahisa Zeze, Koji Fukada and Michihito Fujii.
Directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu (The Unbroken), Fukushima 50 tells the story of the courageous group of workers who remained on site to stabilise the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant during its meltdown following the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.
Based on Ryusho Kadota’s book On The Brink: The Inside Story of Fukushima Daiichi, the...
- 5/14/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
If Sion Sono directed the “Pick a fight with a stranger” sequence from Fight Club without any fantastical flourish, it’d come out something like Destruction Babies. That one sentence might be enough to turn certain people off ever watching this film – and fair enough, since there’s a minimal chance they’d even remotely like it. Hell, even if that description intrigues you, this movie might still not be for you. It is willfully, aggressively unpleasant, a domino string of violent scenes that are deliberately anti-entertaining.
Think about the usual mechanics of cinematic fight scenes, and Destruction Babies does the opposite. The camera spectates from a cold, steady remove. There’s zero feeling of choreography, as combatants flail about messily, missing their punches and kicks as often as they hit. There are few fancy moves – men dance around one another until one of them pins the other and then proceeds to pummel him mercilessly,...
Think about the usual mechanics of cinematic fight scenes, and Destruction Babies does the opposite. The camera spectates from a cold, steady remove. There’s zero feeling of choreography, as combatants flail about messily, missing their punches and kicks as often as they hit. There are few fancy moves – men dance around one another until one of them pins the other and then proceeds to pummel him mercilessly,...
- 4/26/2017
- by Daniel Schindel
- The Film Stage
Stars: Yuya Yagira, Nijoro Murakami, Masaki Suda, Nana Komatsu | Written by Tetsuya Mariko, Kôhei Kiyasu | Directed by Tetsuya Marko
When you watch a film you often look for some meaning behind the images you are seeing. Whether it be horror, action, love, or any other genre there is an aim to the story. This is what makes Tetsuya Marko’s Destruction Babies (Disutorakushon beibîzu) so hard to pin down, because it doesn’t care about the rules, it just wants to cause chaos!
The film starts with Taira (Yuya Yagira) deciding to leave town before a coming of age festival. Nobody seems to care but for his younger brother Shota (Nijoro Murakami) who witnesses Taira being attacked by a group of young thugs. Wandering to a nearby city, he starts fighting with anybody in his path, which catches the interest of Yuya Kitahara (Masaki Suda) who soon joins Taira in his need for destruction.
When you watch a film you often look for some meaning behind the images you are seeing. Whether it be horror, action, love, or any other genre there is an aim to the story. This is what makes Tetsuya Marko’s Destruction Babies (Disutorakushon beibîzu) so hard to pin down, because it doesn’t care about the rules, it just wants to cause chaos!
The film starts with Taira (Yuya Yagira) deciding to leave town before a coming of age festival. Nobody seems to care but for his younger brother Shota (Nijoro Murakami) who witnesses Taira being attacked by a group of young thugs. Wandering to a nearby city, he starts fighting with anybody in his path, which catches the interest of Yuya Kitahara (Masaki Suda) who soon joins Taira in his need for destruction.
- 2/6/2017
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Winner of the Best New Director prize at the Locarno Film Festival, and one of the greatest recent Japanese films, alongside “Hime-Anole“, “Destruction Babies” is a combination of Miike’s “Izo”, Tsukamoto’s “Tokyo Fist” and Toyoda’s “Pornostar“.
The film starts in Mitsuhama, a small port in the west of Ehime prefecture where two brothers are living, abandoned by their parents. The younger is named Shota and seems like a regular high-school boy, and the second is Taira, a delinquent who is introduced through a fight with the local gang, he against half a dozen that is. Almost immediately after the fight, and a little before the mikoshi (portable shrine) festival, Taira leaves and embarks on a trip of blind violence through the streets of the city, where he picks fights with anyone that comes across his way, including the members of the local gang who run a hostess club.
The film starts in Mitsuhama, a small port in the west of Ehime prefecture where two brothers are living, abandoned by their parents. The younger is named Shota and seems like a regular high-school boy, and the second is Taira, a delinquent who is introduced through a fight with the local gang, he against half a dozen that is. Almost immediately after the fight, and a little before the mikoshi (portable shrine) festival, Taira leaves and embarks on a trip of blind violence through the streets of the city, where he picks fights with anyone that comes across his way, including the members of the local gang who run a hostess club.
- 1/21/2017
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Retrospective will focus on Japanese independent cinema from the past 15 years and includes Cannes favourite Naomi Kawase.
The San Sebastian Film Festival is to programme a retrospective for its 63rd edition (Sept 18-26) titles New Japanese independent cinema 2000-2015.
Among the titles making up the retrospective from known directors are:
H Story (2001) by Nobuhiro Suwa;A Snake of June (Rokugatsu no hebi, 2002) by Shin’ya Tsukamoto;Bright Future (Akarui mirai, 2003) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa;Vibrator (2003) by Ryuichi Hiroki;Bashing (2005) by Masahiro Kobayashi;Birth/Mother (Tarachime, 2006) by Naomi Kawase;Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi, 2008) by Shion Sono.
The works of several new talents to have made their debut since 2000 include:
Hole in the Sky (Sora no ana, 2001) by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri,Border Line (2002) by Sang-il Lee,No One’s Ark (Baka no hakobune, 2003) by Nobuhiro Yamashita, The Soup, One Morning (Aru asa, soup wa, 2005) by Izumi Takahashi,Fourteen (Ju-yon-sai, 2007) by Hiromasa Hirosue,Sex Is Not Laughing Matter (Hito no sekkuso...
The San Sebastian Film Festival is to programme a retrospective for its 63rd edition (Sept 18-26) titles New Japanese independent cinema 2000-2015.
Among the titles making up the retrospective from known directors are:
H Story (2001) by Nobuhiro Suwa;A Snake of June (Rokugatsu no hebi, 2002) by Shin’ya Tsukamoto;Bright Future (Akarui mirai, 2003) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa;Vibrator (2003) by Ryuichi Hiroki;Bashing (2005) by Masahiro Kobayashi;Birth/Mother (Tarachime, 2006) by Naomi Kawase;Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi, 2008) by Shion Sono.
The works of several new talents to have made their debut since 2000 include:
Hole in the Sky (Sora no ana, 2001) by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri,Border Line (2002) by Sang-il Lee,No One’s Ark (Baka no hakobune, 2003) by Nobuhiro Yamashita, The Soup, One Morning (Aru asa, soup wa, 2005) by Izumi Takahashi,Fourteen (Ju-yon-sai, 2007) by Hiromasa Hirosue,Sex Is Not Laughing Matter (Hito no sekkuso...
- 5/7/2015
- ScreenDaily
Tiffcom 2013, which runs during the Tokyo International Film Festival, has revealed its CoPro Connection line-up including projects from Sabu and Nicolas Winding Refn.
Comprising 20 projects from 12 countries, the co-production event will run Oct 22-24 in Tiffcom’s Odaiba venue.
In cooperation with the Korean Film Council (Kofic), CoPro Connection has invited five Korean filmmakers with Korea-Japan co-production projects. These include Shobu, to be directed by Ki-hwan Oh, whose Korea-China co-produced romantic comedy A Wedding Invitation was a recent hit in China.
Tiffcom’s CoPro and Atelier du Cinema Europeen (Ace) will jointly hold the Ace Co-production Lab in Japan for the five Japanese and six European projects in the selection. These include Japanese writer/director/actor Sabu’s cross-media project Ten No Chasuke (working title) and Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s Japan-set project, The Avenging Silence.
Project and event details will be available later this month on the Tiffcom website.
Full CoPro Connection...
Comprising 20 projects from 12 countries, the co-production event will run Oct 22-24 in Tiffcom’s Odaiba venue.
In cooperation with the Korean Film Council (Kofic), CoPro Connection has invited five Korean filmmakers with Korea-Japan co-production projects. These include Shobu, to be directed by Ki-hwan Oh, whose Korea-China co-produced romantic comedy A Wedding Invitation was a recent hit in China.
Tiffcom’s CoPro and Atelier du Cinema Europeen (Ace) will jointly hold the Ace Co-production Lab in Japan for the five Japanese and six European projects in the selection. These include Japanese writer/director/actor Sabu’s cross-media project Ten No Chasuke (working title) and Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s Japan-set project, The Avenging Silence.
Project and event details will be available later this month on the Tiffcom website.
Full CoPro Connection...
- 9/10/2013
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
With London’s Raindance Film Festival set to begin at the end of the month, Michael provides a run-down of ten movies worth keeping an eye on…
Coming up at the end of the month is the Raindance Film Festival, London's showcase for the world's most promising independent and low-budget cinema. Now in its 18th year, Raindance is boasting a line-up of 77 would-be breakout flicks, most of which are receiving their UK premieres.
With strands dedicated to documentaries, Japanese cinema, and homegrown British films, as well as awards given for the best debut, microbudget, UK and international features (to be judged by, amongst others, Charles Saatchi, Julian Barratt, Dave McKean and Lemmy), there's certainly a lot on offer for the discerning cinephile. Luckily for you, we've combed the programme and come up with 10 films that have impressed us with bold concepts, or baffled us with their barminess.
A Serbian Film...
Coming up at the end of the month is the Raindance Film Festival, London's showcase for the world's most promising independent and low-budget cinema. Now in its 18th year, Raindance is boasting a line-up of 77 would-be breakout flicks, most of which are receiving their UK premieres.
With strands dedicated to documentaries, Japanese cinema, and homegrown British films, as well as awards given for the best debut, microbudget, UK and international features (to be judged by, amongst others, Charles Saatchi, Julian Barratt, Dave McKean and Lemmy), there's certainly a lot on offer for the discerning cinephile. Luckily for you, we've combed the programme and come up with 10 films that have impressed us with bold concepts, or baffled us with their barminess.
A Serbian Film...
- 9/9/2010
- Den of Geek
Vancouver -- South Korean director Jang Kun Jae's coming-of-age drama "Eighteen" took home the Dragons & Tigers Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival Thursday night.
The Asian director's debut feature about an illicit seaside romance by two young Koreans beat out seven other films for the top honor for emerging East Asian filmmakers in Vancouver.
Jurors Noel Vera, Johnny Ray Huston and Ikeda Hiroyuka praised the film, which had its world premiere in Vancouver, for its seamless structure and strong camerawork.
Vera, a Manila-based film critic, said Jang "took an old, old, old story -- your classic boy-meets-girl, boy- loses girl -- and made it feel fresh by the strength of his direction."
The announcement was greeted by whoops of delight from the films' Vancouver contingent, which included producer Kim Woo-ri and lead actors Seo Jun-Yeong and Lee Min-ji.
Jang, dressed in jeans, sneakers and a baseball cap, was more...
The Asian director's debut feature about an illicit seaside romance by two young Koreans beat out seven other films for the top honor for emerging East Asian filmmakers in Vancouver.
Jurors Noel Vera, Johnny Ray Huston and Ikeda Hiroyuka praised the film, which had its world premiere in Vancouver, for its seamless structure and strong camerawork.
Vera, a Manila-based film critic, said Jang "took an old, old, old story -- your classic boy-meets-girl, boy- loses girl -- and made it feel fresh by the strength of his direction."
The announcement was greeted by whoops of delight from the films' Vancouver contingent, which included producer Kim Woo-ri and lead actors Seo Jun-Yeong and Lee Min-ji.
Jang, dressed in jeans, sneakers and a baseball cap, was more...
- 10/9/2009
- by By Etan Vlessing and Adele Weder
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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